Collaborating with a Colorist: A Guide to Working Together for the Best Color Grading Results

Рет қаралды 17,267

Күн бұрын

Today I'm talking about how to work with a colorist. Many filmmakers have never had their projects properly color graded and the process can be intimidating and technically complicated. In this video, I break down the process and workflow as well as how to find a colorist and share your work.
0:00 Intro
0:44 Table of Contents
1:15 How to find a colorist
2:52 How to communicate your vision
3:51 Shoot with the color grade in mind
4:58 How to deliver your project
7:11 How long to expect it to take
7:56 How to handle revisions
8:52 How to receive the files and finish
9:43 Giving credit and sharing stills
10:16 Conclusion
Sign up for Frame.io: r.frame.io/CNFls?c
Color Graded With My LUTs: bit.ly/2YSNkB9
Music From (Free 2 Month Trial): bit.ly/2y4MuTo
FREE Mavic 2 DLog-M LUT: bit.ly/2JLFul0
My Gear
Camera Bag: amzn.to/2Er0xXi
The best lens for video: amzn.to/2Esjc4Z
Sigma ART 35mm f1.4: amzn.to/2l7sITX
Variable ND: amzn.to/2EqzpaW
My Favorite Filter: amzn.to/2l7AehC
Audio Recorder: amzn.to/2jEC9d6
BEST Lav Mics ever: amzn.to/2Nsyrhg
Fuji X-T3: amzn.to/2GZHlBK
My favorite Fuji lens: amzn.to/2E7CISS
EF to FX Adapter: amzn.to/2EqECQ4
Tiny Microphone: amzn.to/2tyE5Fc
Tokina 11-16mm f2.8: amzn.to/2XjYY4Y
DJI Mavic 2 Pro (Fly More Combo): amzn.to/2E5C0pq
ND Filters for Mavic 2 Pro: amzn.to/2EqV2HY
Joby Gorillapod 3K Kit: amzn.to/2BNWMto
Camera Cleaning Kit: amzn.to/2Er3RBN
Tiny SSD for traveling: amzn.to/2jH5ofp
Color Grading Gear
Logitech Craft Keyboard: amzn.to/2Yjt7Vl
Logitech MX Master 2S Mouse: amzn.to/2SDsgJO
Wacom Intuos Wireless Tablet: amzn.to/2McMU21
Davinci Resolve Micro Panel: amzn.to/2LFzV9S
X-Rite i1Display Pro Calibrator: amzn.to/2MhAplV
My LUTs (SAVE10 for 10% off): bit.ly/2JNhRZn
Blackmagic UltraStudio Mini Monitor: amzn.to/30THhdl
4TB G-Drive USB: amzn.to/32QRA3B
WD 8TB Hard Drive (for backups): amzn.to/2LHLUDQ
The best client review tool: r.frame.io/CNFls?c
Social
Instagram: / evanjschneider
Facebook: / evan.schneider
Twitter: / evanjschneider_
Website: www.schneidervisuals.com
Professional inquiries please email: evan@schneidervisuals.com
Most of the purchase links in this description are affiliate links. Proceeds support this channel at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

Пікірлер: 74

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Hey look at that, now you know a colorist! 😎

@ClaudioDesideriFilms 2 жыл бұрын

ahahah yayyy!

@KalaniHubbard 3 жыл бұрын

Evan, you're the best colorist I've ever worked with! I don't trust anyone else with my grades

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

I'm always honored to grade your projects! You're the best!

@ClaudioDesideriFilms 2 жыл бұрын

That's very interesting Evan and another cool knowledge to put in the "skills bag". Especially the part about what type of files to deliver is exactly what I needed to know. Very much appreciated buddy, thanks!

@KristenBrookman 2 жыл бұрын

As a director currently editing a short film, I can't tell you how incredibly helpful this was. I was absolutely stumped before & had no clue what to do. Life saver. THANK YOU!

@EvanSchneider 2 жыл бұрын

Great to hear!

@anthonyshintai2942 3 жыл бұрын

Thank You Evan! This was very helpful (P.S - the colors in this video looks great )

@ChadtheFilipino 2 жыл бұрын

Hey man! Burgeoning colorist in SF here. Super helpful video for me, and also for my collaborators. THanks!

@enbokpahsyntiew2187 2 жыл бұрын

Wow this is very insightful for me as an aspiring colorist. Thankyou so much

@ZpbAce 3 жыл бұрын

This was so great, thank you.

@que_dijo 3 жыл бұрын

awesome value content as always Evan!. Thanks!

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@ericdavidwallace 10 ай бұрын

This is SOOOO EXTREMELY HELPFUL - Thank you so much, I am emailing you now!

@casitafilmcolor Жыл бұрын

great info. THANK YOU

@iamBrianaMorris Жыл бұрын

THIS WAS EXCELLENT!!!

@benjamintelford 2 жыл бұрын

Extremely insightful. Thank you!

@EvanSchneider 2 жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@dcmluap 3 ай бұрын

Thanks. Great video

@AKSTUDIOUSA 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the info.

@ShatteredFocusProductions 3 жыл бұрын

This was very helpful! Thank you🤠

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Happy to help!

@SoloVisualsAZ 3 жыл бұрын

this was so helpful man! thank you!!

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Absolutely!

@REVIEWSONTHERUN 2 жыл бұрын

Good video. Thank you for sharing it ✌️

@antonybrittozz 3 жыл бұрын

Great video. Kindly make one on how to handle your clients.

@elschannel287 2 жыл бұрын

Love it!

@EvanSchneider 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@viewchew3430 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for Coloring View & Chew! The food is tastier with your juicy grades!

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for making me hungry for a week straight!

@ginotambis 2 жыл бұрын

hey man, thank you for this. would love to know the proper process of the whole roundtrip especially from premiere pro to davinci. im having a hard time and have many issues with the xml cause im editing with proxies,.

@bamfamfilms Жыл бұрын

A much, much neeed insight!

@SteezyKane 2 жыл бұрын

I have a question, what if there’s vfx in your video, and that may change once there’s color correction or grading. Should you maybe avoid doing the vfx before and just do it after the grade? Like for example here is a video I made: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/otiFn7N4z8jJiHk.html At 7:40 there is vfx that I did on the gas station sign. I colored this myself, but I’m planning on getting a colorist in the future, but small things like this kind of confuse me on how to communicate or collaborate with someone on.

@EvanSchneider Жыл бұрын

You could apply the VFX to the graded footage but then you're baking in the grade and it can't be changed. To make it simple, I'd do the VFX on the original footage, then send it to color. If you shot in log, you should transform it first unless you want to do the VFX in the camera original colorspace. The best thing to do is choose your colorist beforehand and create a gameplan together!

@GarrettBennion 3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the insight Evan! When you talk about having the colorist work on the raw files- Would you just send the entire clips over? And then replaced the linked files in the edit when they come back?

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Yes, you would either send a hard drive with all the files or a media managed timeline with just the raw clips you used. Then you would coordinate with the colorist for what files you want back. Either a final QuickTime or the colored individual files that you can take and drop back into your edit.

@JusttJC 3 жыл бұрын

Really insightful video man thank you! I only have one question, I've been trying to use the second method of delivery with the xml but when I add effects that aren't in davicini resolve for example, it messes up the clips. Any advice on how to sort that?

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately most effects don't translate from one app to another. You have to decide if you want to apply the effects after you color or treat them like VFX shots and export them individually to import into Resolve.

@tristanshannon4128 2 жыл бұрын

@ozzyosmond1 Жыл бұрын

This was very informative, more so than other videos on the topic here on YT, though I'm hoping you could clarify what I was originally searching for: I want to know how you handle footage that has effects or composite shots? If log or raw footage is the best to give a colorist, what happens with shots that require extra work (effects)? Do you just get them as a Pro Res after FX are added and deal with it or do you grade the footage first maintaining the "raw" quality? I can see how that makes it a challenge with shots in the same scene that don't require FX. Could you explain this workflow between editor/FX people/colorists?

@EvanSchneider 11 ай бұрын

Typically the colorist/post house handles the VFX plates. So the colorist would decide what source they want to grade from, then they would export the shots for VFX to work on, usually in a log format. They oftentimes also provide a viewing LUT for the VFX team to work under so that they can see an approximation of what the color will end up looking like. Then, when the VFX are finished, the shots are sent back to the colorist in the same log format that they were received in. That way the colorist can drop the VFX shots in, apply the grade from the original and make any other adjustments necessary. If the editor is handling the VFX shot outputs, they should consult with the colorist beforehand to make sure they are formatting them correctly. If not, it could cause issues or more work down the road.

@rachellesalnave9281 3 жыл бұрын

Super helpful. I am wondering about rates for a small indy 25 min documentary.

@pankajsalmuthe6931 Жыл бұрын

@glaminator76 6 ай бұрын

Hello Evan, great video and thank you! I had a question. I'm working on a film that will have a snow falling effect. Exporting as a Pro Res 4444 might not be the best since it is baked in. My colorist won't be able to color the snow layer separately. What would be the best way to color a film with an effect like this?

@EvanSchneider 6 ай бұрын

I would deliver the main timeline and then export the snow effect element separately (either with alpha channel, or on black background and then set the composite mode to "screen") for the colorist to composite in their timeline.

@mcnelisfilms Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for this! I am currently tasked to export and deliver a commercial for a colorist since our in-house colorist is swamped and I had no idea what to do. THANK YOU. Also, on a side note. this was shot on a Red Komodo. But let's say I had a personal side project hat was shot ProRes422. Would I use the same export settings even though I didn't film RAW? and lets say hypothetically for the sake of conversation, I shot it in h.264 s-log. would you even export that to color in Davinci or just drop a lut in premiere?

@EvanSchneider Жыл бұрын

Absolutely! And to answer your question, yes, I would use the same export settings regardless of if you shot raw or not. This ensures that you're sending the highest quality version and that the colorist has as much data to work with as possible. I would always advise doing color work in Resolve since the tools are miles and miles ahead of what Premiere offers. You'll always get much better results regardless of the footage you're using.

@mcnelisfilms Жыл бұрын

@@EvanSchneider Thank you so much for the reply! I didn't expect one being this video is 2 years old but thank you!! I appreciate it and good to know about still being able to do some color correcting in Resolve with ProRes footage.

@dvsvamsi2421 2 жыл бұрын

Can you please make a video about how to become a colorist ( may be the OG way and the independent learning way) and any tips Plz ❤️ from India

@jennythach Жыл бұрын

Thank you! What if you’re project has after effects / vfx work on it? Do you give them the hard drive or xml file?

@EvanSchneider Жыл бұрын

If the VFX are completely finished, you could cut them into the timeline and then export the XML from there, then provide the VFX shots on a hard drive or download. If they're not, you would keep the temp shots and then I'd add a title with the name of the VFX shot so the colorist can drop them in on their end.

@camiloescobar1865 2 жыл бұрын

pricing would be a great subject to make a video

@luketurnermedia3774 3 жыл бұрын

You have any tips for getting colorist work? I’m a DP who enjoys color and I’ve been considering pushing more into that territory.

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

That’s exactly how I started! I would recommend coloring your own projects yourself and sharing your work, and reach out to other filmmakers you know and offer to color their projects. Also, like a lot of other things in film, you kind of have to just start calling yourself what you want to be. So at some point, just tell people you’re a colorist and BAM there you go. Definitely scary for the first few projects but the confidence will come!

@jaquelineazevedo7367 3 жыл бұрын

@@EvanSchneider this is one of the weirdest things about being a photographer/filmmaker/colorist... Is not knowing when to entitle yourself with what you really do. For me, it only happened after I saw my job title in the contract of a full-time job offer, even tho I had been paid before, multiple times to do photoshoots. Sad haha

@sajeedsarwarbd 11 ай бұрын

What if I am unable to send out raw footage? Can you shed some light on having other options? Thanks !

@EvanSchneider 11 ай бұрын

In short, you would render out a ProRes422HQ or ProRes4444 from your timeline for your colorist to use as a source, of course making sure to turn off any temp color adjustments before exporting.

@sondp Жыл бұрын

Shot a video with a red camera 5k resolution, i don’t understand why the colorist said i should send a 2k or 1080p file when the final delivery is supposed to be in 4k resolution.

@EvanSchneider Жыл бұрын

That’s definitely something you should communicate to your colorist!

@nikhilmishra2541 3 жыл бұрын

I don't know much about colourist that's why I am asking this , Sir can I tell that can a colorist colour a black and white footage.

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

Of course, just another creative style

@uditbhardwaj6724 2 жыл бұрын

Can I do color grading,, in adobe premiere pro? For the film

@EvanSchneider 2 жыл бұрын

You can absolutely grade in Premiere, but Resolve will give you better tools and a UI that is more suitable for color work.

@uditbhardwaj6724 2 жыл бұрын

@@EvanSchneider thank you

@cahlajthepoetmc9746 3 жыл бұрын

How do you make a photo with three pictures in it? I don't know how to do it.

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

The easiest way is to use the app Layout from Instagram or you can also use the app Adobe Spark

@AKSTUDIOUSA 2 жыл бұрын

What would it cost annually for a great colorist?

@EvanSchneider 2 жыл бұрын

It's going to vary based on location but in NYC/LA it's probably on average around 70k per year if they're salary. But it's also based on skill, experience, and location. Many colorists like myself are freelance too.

@AKSTUDIOUSA 2 жыл бұрын

@@EvanSchneider I’m looking for a great colorist that can come everyday to my studio. I’m located in NY Queens. You know where I can find one?

@oluobasanu4299 2 жыл бұрын

Are there photo colorist too?

@EvanSchneider 2 жыл бұрын

Not really. Photographers typically edit their own photos.

@increditors 3 жыл бұрын

Hi. Ummmm you forget to talk about the price 😅

@EvanSchneider 3 жыл бұрын

It depends on so many factors, that could be a whole separate video

@rajeeka2180 3 жыл бұрын

“Hey guys I just wanted to tell you guys that Jesus loves you and that your here for a reason. Repent by turning to him and just accepting him as your savior, and your Lord, for he is very real and wants you to know him. Just take that leap of faith by letting him into your life.💖” Jesus is the same today yesterday and forever more people die but God is eternal✨❤️